Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo has announced that he will compete for a second term in November, despite opposition claims that he is not the country’s actual president.
Meanwhile, a delegation from the West African regional body ECOWAS, which had been sent to Guinea-Bissau to help resolve the country’s political turmoil, left Embalo on Monday, citing threats of deportation.
Embalo, who dissolved the opposition-dominated parliament in late 2023, told reporters at Bissau’s airport on Monday that he would run again after visiting Russia, Azerbaijan, and Hungary.
Guinea-Bissau’s constitution sets the presidential term at five years, renewable once, and Embalo would be running for an allowed second term. But, the details of his first term are complicated, and the opposition argues that his first term already has ended.
Embalo’s announcement risks escalating tensions in the small West African nation, which has endured multiple coups since gaining independence from Portugal over 50 years ago.
Embalo won an election on Nov. 24, 2019, and was inaugurated in as president on Feb. 27, 2020, but the opposition challenged the results, and the Supreme Court did not accept his victory until September 4.
The opposition claims Embalo’s term should have ended on February 27 of this year, but the Supreme Court ordered that it should continue until September 4. Embalo has scheduled an election on November 30 and has stated that he intends to remain in office until then, but the opposition has refused to acknowledge him as president since last week.
Opposition leaders have warned of massive protests and strikes, but are waiting to see if the ECOWAS mission is effective.
Embalo claims he has withstood two attempts to overthrow him in the last three years. Following the most recent one in December 2023, which entailed a firefight between the national and presidential guards, he dissolved the opposition-controlled parliament, accusing it of inaction.
